Blog - Spencer Education

Jan 13 2026

The Human Advantage: Nine Skills We Can’t Afford to Lose in an AI-Powered World

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast No Comments

With AI becoming a helpful tool in education, it’s easy to see the benefits of quick access to information, personalized support, and the efficiency that technology can bring. However, as we embrace these tools, we also want to preserve and nurture the learning experiences that…

Jan 06 2026

Brett Fischer on AI and Teacher Creativity

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast No Comments

In my latest episode, Brett Fischer talks about how AI is transforming teacher creativity. I loved his practical insights and depth of knowledge on this subject. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to listen to it on the go,…

Jan 02 2026

Designing Socratic Seminars to Ensure That All Students Can Participate

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 19 Comments

Socratic seminars are a democratic, student-centered, approach to class discussions. They can be used at any grade level with any subject area. In a Socratic Seminar, members meet in a circle (or more likely an oval, because, let’s be real, circles are really hard to…

Dec 03 2025

How Will AI Transform Creative Thinking?

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Podcast No Comments

As AI becomes becomes more pervasive in our daily work, we often wrestle with a big question: what should we automate and what should we protect as deeply human? We experience this profoundly in creative work. We are drawn to the speed and efficiency of…

Nov 13 2025

How Compacting Can Lead to Deeper Learning

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage No Comments

In my latest article, I explore how we can use compacting to spark deeper learning in students. We dive into why compacting matters, how it works, what models to use, and how we can incorporate assessment into it. The Need for Compacting When my son…

Nov 02 2025

Tony Vincent on How to Integrate AI Ethically in an Elementary Classroom

By John Spencer Creativity One Comment

In this episode, I interview ed tech expert Tony Vincent, who shares practical insights on how educators can use AI ethically and responsibly in schools. He discusses how teachers can balance innovation with integrity, ensuring that AI supports creativity, critical thinking, and student agency without…

Oct 29 2025

Using AI to Spark Deeper Learning

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast No Comments

AI represents both a dream and a warning for education. On one hand, it offers personalized feedback, instant support, and creative possibilities that can make learning more dynamic than ever. On the other, it tempts us toward speed over depth, efficiency over understanding, and convenience…

Oct 21 2025

Empowering Students to Self-Select the Scaffolds

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 2 Comments

When I was a new teacher, I had a goal of differentiating instruction for every student. I would provide additional directions, project sheets, tutorials, and small group instruction for any student who needed help. I kept a list of specific strategies I would use in…

Oct 14 2025

Students Need to Explore the Nature of AI

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast, Technology and Media Literacy 5 Comments

In 2014, Microsoft launched a hugely successful AI bot named Xiaoice in China. With over forty million conversations, users often described feeling as though they were interacting with a real human. Microsoft founder Bill Gates described it this way, “'Xiaoice has attracted 45 million followers…

Sep 30 2025

A Few Years In: The Unintended Consequences of Generative AI

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity 2 Comments

With the widespread adoption of generative AI, we need to explore how these platforms are changing our world. In my latest article and podcast episode, I share six unintended consequences that are beginning to emerge. We Can't Predict How AI Will Change Our World As…